Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

An undersea electrical connector is disclosed which can quickly effect a disconnect between two undersea cables by the application of a large tensional force across the connector which causes the connector to disengage. The connector is pressurized to prevent the collapse of the flexible connector housing which permits the rapid disconnect without further mechanical detents or escape mechanisms.

United States Patent 15 3,680,036 McCamis et a]. [451 July 25, 1972 [s41 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 2,782,391 2/1957 Kirk ..339/211 [72] Inventors: Marvin J. McCamis, Pocasset; George W.

Gibson, E. Falmouth, both of Mass.

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 693,371 7/1953 Great Britain ..l74/93 1 Asslgnw The United Statesof Amerlca as 109,990 5/1924 Switzerland ..174/21.1

represented by the Secretary of the Navy 22 il m 17, 1970 Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn Attorney-R. S. Sciascia, L. l. Shrago and R. K. Tendler [2]] Appl. No.: 72,963

[57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. ..3 l 1 39/60 M 174/93 5437 5 An undersea electrlcal connector is dlsclosed which can I t Cl H01 13 52 quickly effect a disconnect between two undersea cables by n. r the application ofalarge tensional force across the connector [58] Fleld of Search ..339/45, 46, 60, 61, 75, 94, which causes the connector to disengage The connector is 339/205; 174/2! 91, 93 pressurized to prevent the collapse of the flexible connector housing which permits the rapid disconnect without further [56] Ref r nc s Cit d mechanical detents or escape mechanisms.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures 3,522,576 8/1970 Cairns ..339/96 37 90 51 e 4 35 3/ 8 Z7 Z7 g- Z6 Z 9 5 36 L 22 Z/ 3 a 7 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an undersea electrical device designed to sever electrical cables when they are placed under a tension exceeding a predetermined threshold.

In undersea deep submersibles and in undersea utility vehicles there is a requirement that electrical cables to equipment exposed to ambient sea pressures be quickly and reliably severed or disconnected. These cables may connect different sections of the submersible or may form the umbilical cords to equipment mounted external to the vehicle. In case of an emergency, it may be desirable to sever one section of the submersible from another section or to sever the submersible from an outboard piece of apparatus which has become fouled or caught in the undersea environment. Prior art disconnects have been unduly complicated and subject to failure themselves. The present invention is a simple, reliable, inexpensive connector for use in the sea at depths where pressures would ordinarily necessitate the engineering of a complicated disconnect system.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector for use in an undersea environment which enables two electrical cables to be reliably connected and quickly disconnected when the cable tension across the connector is increased beyond a predetermined threshold.

It is another object of this invention to provide an electrical connector in which two undersea cables can be connected and isolated from the environment without additional clamping which would prevent rapid disconnecting.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like parts throughout and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the subject connector in a disconnected condition;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the connector of FIG. I in an undersea environment in relation to a deep submersible;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the connector also showing a means by which the connector may be filled with a dielectric fluid; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing this filling device in a further sectional view.

Referring to FIG. 1, connector 1 is composed of two lipped endpieces 2 and 3 over which is slipped an elastic, flexible, cylindrical housing 11, whose end portions are deformed over the lip portions of the endpieces. The endpieces are bored to accommodate the passage of cables 6 and -7 which are sealed at the ends of the bore by a washer or O-ringlike member 8. The cables are connected inside housing 11 by male and female pin connectors 4 and in such a way that tension exerted in the directions shown by arrows 9 and 10 cause connectors 4 and 5 to be pulled apart. This tension also causes washers 8 to exert pressure on endpieces 2 and 3 causing separation between one of the endpieces and cylinder 11 when a tension exceeding the frictional force holding the cylinder to the endpiece is maintained. In addition to washers 8, the cables may be further sealed in the bores of their respective endpieces to directly transmit the cable tension to the endpieces. Cylinder I1 is filled with a dielectric, noncompressible fluid, such as oil, in order to prevent the collapse of the connector housing due to high ambient pressures found at great ocean depths. In addition, this fluid insulates connectors 4 and 5 from corrosion due to the presence of salt water. The dielectric fluid is normally supplied to cylinder 11 under atmospheric pressure. However, greater pressures may be used for unusually deep undersea applications without reducing the frictional grip of the ends of the cylinder to the barrel-shaped walls of the endpieces.

FIG. 2 illustrates one of the many undersea applications for the subject connector. In this diagram, a deep submersible vehicle 12 is shown impaled on a rock at the ocean bottom. This vehicle is equipped with a high pressure titanium sphere 13 which houses the crew and onboard electronics. The sphere is releasable from the remainder of the vehicle and rises to the surface due to its buoyancy. This surfacing is permitted by the disconnect provided by the subject connector shown at 1. The tension provided by the buoyancy of the sphere overcomes the frictional holding forces at the connector by exceeding the design threshold by several orders of magnitude. I

In another situation, an outboard electrical device, such as a TV camera, shown at 15, is trapped in an undersea crevasse 14. Efforts to remove it by means of a mechanical arm 16 having failed, the device may be separated from vehicle 12 by a hard yank on the umbilical cable. Connector 1 disconnects the camera from the submersible, allowing this vehicle to return intact to the sea surface. The tension necessary to effect disconnection is provided by the connector parameters and is designed to be an order of magnitude more than is usual under normal operating conditions.

In practice, these design constraints are not as critical as they might seem. Ordinary automobile radiator hose forced over the lip portions of the endpieces has provided all the mechanical stability that is necessary without the need for hose clamps or other mechanical detent means.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector assembly. As mentioned hereinbefore, the connector is composed of two lipped endpieces and a flexible housing in the form of cylinder or tube 11.

The endpieces are composed of a central barrel 21 which is threaded at one end and has a lip portion 26 at the other end. Surrounding this barrel are inner and outer caps 23 and 24. Cap 24 has an inwardly directed flange portion 27 integral to the cap which contains and seals washer 8, through which is passed either cable 6 or 7. These cables are shown extending into chamber 35 provided by the flexible housing member and connected to the aforementioned pin connectors 4 and 5.

The flexible housing cylinder is shown forced onto the barrels of the endpieces over lip portions 26. This housing is elastically deformable to fit over the lip portions and to maintain a sealing relationship to barrels 21. In this embodiment, oil is added through tapered hole 31 and stopper assembly 30 is then pulled into the position shown in FIG. 3.

In operation, the ambient sea pressure P,, is shown acting on the surface of the connector. This force acting on the portion of cylinder 11 above barrels 21 increases the frictional force between the cylinder and the barrels so as to resist tensional and tortional forces. It is pressure at these points which obviates the necessity of clamping the cylindrical housing to the endpieces. The noncompressible fluid in chamber 35 prevents the collapse of the flexible housing which would cause the ends of the cylinder to flare, thus decreasing the contact with the barrel members and resulting in a premature disconnect.

Once cylinder 11 is in place, cap pieces 23 are rotated to provide a snug fit, further sealing the oil within cavity 35 and preventing relative motion between the flexible housing and the barrels. Thereafter, cap pieces 24 are rotated to seal the connector cables against the barrels.

In FIG. 4, the complete stopper assembly has shown. It is a solid flexible washer 36 attached to a tapered neck portion 37 and a handle portion 38. Hole 31 in cylinder 11 of FIG. 3 has a like taper to that of neck portion 37, allowing sealing when handle 38 is pulled and space to pour in oil when the washer assembly is well within chamber 35.

It will be appreciated that several valving methods of filling chamber 35 are possible and that this stopper method is only one convenient way to fill chamber 35.

What is claimed is:

1. Electrical cable connecting apparatus capable of withstanding high hydrostatic pressures and which can be disconnected by applying a predetermined amount of tension across the electrical cables it interconnects, comprising a sleeve made of elastic material;

a pair of plugs fitting into the open ends of said sleeve and sealing the interior thereof;

each of said plugs having a barrel portion that is slightly larger in diameter than the inside diameter of said sleeve and a rim portion extending outwardly from said barrel portion at one end thereof;

said sleeve having a filling aperture formed therein and a tapered elastic stopper positioned within said sleeve with the narrow portion thereof extending through said aperture to a point outside of said sleeve, said narrow portion serving as a gripping means for manually pulling said stopper into a sealing position within said filling aperture,

a dielectric fluid filling the interior of said sleeve;

a pair of mating electrical connector elements disposed within said sleeve;

a first length of electrical cable having an intermediate portion thereof secured to one of said plugs and having an adjacent end portion thereof extending into the interior of said sleeve with the individual conductors of said electrical cable attached to the terminals of one of said mating electrical connector elements;

a second length of electrical cable having an intermediate portion thereof secured to the other of said plugs and having an adjacent end portion thereof extending into the interior of said sleeve with the individual conductors of said second length electrical cable attached to the terminals of the other of said mating electrical connector elements;

said pair of plugs being held in place only by the elasticity of said sleeve and the hydrostatic forces which act on said sleeve when said apparatus is in an ocean environment, whereby said sleeve is stretched over said rim and barrel portions when said plugs are fitted into the open ends of said sleeve so that when a predetermined tension is applied to said cables one of said plugs will be pulled out of said sleeve and thereafter said'mating electrical connector elements will break apart. 

1. Electrical cable connecting apparatus capable of withstanding high hydrostatic pressures and which can be disconnected by applying a predetermined amount of tension across the electrical cables it interconnects, comprising a sleeve made of elastic material; a pair of plugs fitting into the open ends of said sleeve and sealing the interior thereof; each of said plugs having a barrel portion that is slightly larger in diameter than the inside diameter of said sleeve and a rim portion extending outwardly from said barrel portion at one end thereof; said sleeve having a filling aperture formed therein and a tapered elastic stopper positioned within said sleeve with the narrow portion thereof extending through said aperture to a point outside of said sleeve, said narrow portion serving as a gripping means for manually pulling said stopper into a sealing position within said filling aperture, a dielectric fluid filling the interior of said sleeve; a pair of mating electrical connector elements disposed within said sleeve; a first length of electrical cable having an intermediate portion thereof secured to one of said plugs and having an adjacent end portion thereof extending into the interior of said sleeve with the individual conductors of said electrical cable attached to the terminals of one of said mating electrical connector elements; a second length of electrical cable having an intermediate portion thereof secured to the other of said plugs and having an adjacent end portion thereof extending into the interior of said sleeve with the individual conductors of said second length electrical cable attached to the terminals of the other of said mating electrical connector elements; said pair of plugs being held in place only by the elasticity of said sleeve and the hydrostatic forces which act on said sleeve when said apparatus is in an ocean environment, whereby said sleeve is stretched over said rim and barrel portions when said plugs are fitted into the open ends of said sleeve so that when a predetermined tension is applied to said cables one of said plugs will be pulled out of said sleeve and thereafter said mating electrical connector elements will break apart. 